Head-to-head · Updated March 2026
DeepSeek V3 and Gemini 3.1 Flash both compete in the ultra-budget AI tier, and they trade blows closely. DeepSeek V3 is slightly cheaper at $0.27/1M input and has stronger coding (SWE-bench 49.2%). Gemini 3.1 Flash counters with a 1M token context window (8× DeepSeek's 128K), better multimodal support, and a more mature API ecosystem. Both are exceptional values — the deciding factor is whether you need large context windows or prioritise raw coding performance.
DeepSeek V3
GPT-4o-class coding quality at under $0.30/1M — the best value in the directory.
Gemini 3.1 Flash
Best cheap AI for broad day-to-day work — now with 1M context.
| DeepSeek V3 | Gemini 3.1 Flash | |
|---|---|---|
| Input cost / 1M tokens | $$0.27/1M | $$0.50/1M |
| Output cost / 1M tokens | $$1.10/1M | $$3.00/1M |
| Context window | 128k tokens | 1M tokens |
| Speed | Fast | Very fast |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
Which model wins for each use case — and why.
DeepSeek V3 costs $0.27/1M input vs Gemini Flash's $0.50/1M — about 46% cheaper. For extremely high-volume pipelines, this margin matters.
DeepSeek V3 has stronger coding benchmark scores and was built with engineering quality as a priority. Gemini Flash is capable but DeepSeek has the edge here.
Gemini 3.1 Flash supports 1M tokens vs DeepSeek V3's 128K — an 8× advantage. For processing long documents, transcripts, or codebases at budget pricing, Gemini Flash is the clear pick.
Gemini 3.1 Flash has strong multimodal support across text, images, audio, and video. DeepSeek V3 is text-first with limited multimodal capabilities.
Gemini Flash has a more mature Google API ecosystem. DeepSeek raises data sovereignty concerns for some enterprise users due to its Chinese origin.
Pick DeepSeek V3 if…
Pick Gemini 3.1 Flash if…
Is DeepSeek or Gemini Flash better?
DeepSeek V3 is cheaper and has stronger coding. Gemini 3.1 Flash has a 1M token context window (8× larger) and better multimodal support. Choose based on whether context window or raw cost matters more.
Which is cheaper — DeepSeek or Gemini Flash?
DeepSeek V3 is cheaper at $0.27/1M input tokens vs Gemini Flash's $0.50/1M — about 46% less. Both are in the ultra-budget tier.
Is DeepSeek safe for business use?
DeepSeek is a Chinese-developed model. For sensitive business data or regulated industries, consider the data privacy implications carefully. Many teams use it via OpenRouter for additional control.
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